The Norwegian duo of Kjetil Jansrud and Aksel Lund Svindal used the home snow advantage to post their best results of the season in the Downhill. Starting from number 1, Jansrud, who won both training runs looked to have made it three from three as he tore into the course: Big names in the Downhill competition could not live with the time that the HEAD World Cup Rebel from Norway set. Ultimately it took a super human effort from Klaus Kroell on the lower section of the course to dislodge Jansrud and deprive him of a first World Cup downhill win.

For Jansrud the clock has been hard on him this weekend: In the Super G he was three hundredths from the win (in placing third) and now two hundredths separated him from the win. Jansrud’s small mistake on the run in to the finish had been seen by the rest of the field as they watched him on the television and Kroell admitted afterwards that he had used this knowledge to attack on the run in.

Aksel Lund Svindal spoke after the race and said that January had not been good for him in terms of challenging for the Overall as he had been too often around tenth place: “being on home snow has changed this,” he grinned!

With Ben Thomsen and Didier Cuche also in the top ten overall, this was not a bad day for the HEAD World Cup Rebels. For Cuche, tenth place was not so great as he lost ground in the race for the Downhill Globe to the race winner. With one more race in Schladming at the World Cup Finals, Cuche will be looking to end his career on a high. First though there is the matter of the final Super G before the Finals…